The Corporation for National and Community Service and Justice Department Expand their Partnership to Provide Legal Aid to Victims of Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Department of Justice, through its Elder Justice Initiative and its Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency which administers AmeriCorps and other national service programs, are announcing Elder Justice AmeriCorps, a new grant program to provide legal assistance and support services to victims of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation and to promote pro bono capacity building in the field. This effort will expand a partnership between the two agencies, which includes justice AmeriCorps, a legal aid program launched in 2014 by the Department of Justice and CNCS to serve vulnerable populations. 

“We are very pleased to be expanding our partnership with the Department of Justice to protect vulnerable populations,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “By harnessing the power of national service and encouraging a new generation of lawyers to assist victims of elder abuse and financial exploitation, we will raise awareness of and combat problems affecting millions of Americans each year.”

“The Department of Justice is committed to continuing to investigate and prosecute those who prey on our nation’s elders and to support and empower victims through programs like Elder Justice AmeriCorps,” said Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch. “As a prosecutor I have seen firsthand the devastating emotional, financial and physical consequences of elder abuse and exploitation. Too often victims need legal assistance to help them address multiple issues, such as safe housing and medical care, but have trouble getting help at all, much less through one, comprehensive legal service provider. This innovative program will offer the holistic delivery of comprehensive legal services for elder abuse victims.”

The Elder Justice AmeriCorps program, which is intended to complement existing Office for Victims of Crime grants to support the development of legal assistance networks providing comprehensive, pro bono legal services for victims of crime, will consist of a single grant to an intermediary organization that will support approximately 60 full-time AmeriCorps positions for each year of the two-year program. Interested applicants can review the Notice of Funding Opportunity at /2016AmeriCorpsGrants.